The very moment I learned the U.S. had invaded Iraq I commented about what a terrible mistake it was. I spoke out against it. I wrote in opposition. And I immediately predicted that it could only result in a civil war between the Shia, Sunnis, Kurds, and perhaps other groups or groupings. I continued my criticism month after month. I wrote my M.A. thesis concerning the Near and Middle East and colonialism. Anyone who had even a rudimentary knowledge of the area knew the tragedy that would result from the U.S. invasion.

Yes, President Bush lied to the American people about developments in the Middle East. Yes, long before the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center, there were right-wing nuts who advocated invading Iraq. Yes, there was a sort of cabal among Bush's advisers, Vice President Cheney, and some of the leading military-industrial producers. Big War, Big Corporations, Big Profits. Big Ignorance. Big mistake.

Iraq is not a nation whose creation, boundaries, etc. have any tie to the history of the peoples living in that region. Iraq was created by colonialists. Its borders made no sense. That is true of other areas of the Middle East. National boundaries have little to do with the ethnic or religious grouping within them. The stupidity that was manifest in the Bush administration and the right-wing nutcases and the greedy military industrialists has cost the U.S. trillions of dollars, thousands of American lives, and the loss of any prestige we may have had.

Our mistakes in the Middle East will have to be faced for many years to come, perhaps by generations of Americans. We cannot force our political and moral philosophy down the throat of other peoples, especially when motivated by greed and political deviance. And this is especially true in the Middle East. Especially.

For what it is worth, when in the Senate, Barack Obama voted against invading Iraq. Hillary voted for it.